Degradation of cyanotoxin microcystin-LR in synthetic and natural waters by chemical-free UV/VUV radiation.

This study investigated the capability of ultraviolet radiation at 254 nm and 185 nm (UV/VUV) to degrade cyanotoxin microcystin-LR (MC-LR). Results showed 70% toxin reduction solely by 254 nm direct photolysis (ε254 = 13,225 ±â€¯814 M-1cm-1; Φ254 = 0.29 ±â€¯0.03 mol/Einstein). The addition of 185 nm increased MC-LR degradation through advanced oxidation by •OH (k•OH,MC-LR = 2.25 ±â€¯0.39 × 1010 M-1s-1). Alkalinity and organics (DOC) reduced MC-LR degradation by scavenging •OH (kobs,MilliQ = 0.117 cm2/mJ; kobs,50ppmAlk. = 0.0497 cm2/mJ; kobs,6ppmDOC = 0.019 cm2/mJ). Chloride absorbed 185 nm, impacting •OH formation and generating Cl•, while also scavenging •OH. However, Cl• is reactive and •OH scavenging is reversible, resulting in relatively low impact on MC-LR degradation (kobs,50ppmCl = 0.0939 cm2/mJ). In natural water, MC-LR could be degraded from a typical concentration (˜15 µg/L) to below detection (<0.5 µg/L) with a UV254 fluence of 200 mJ/cm2 using UV/VUV. The presence of cyanobacterial cells impeded MC-LR degradation; however, 90% MC-LR degradation could still be achieved. UV/VUV is a promising chemical-free technology capable of MC-LR degradation in a variety of water conditions, and a potentially suitable treatment option for small, remote communities.

Impact of UVA pre-radiation on UVC disinfection performance: Inactivation, repair and mechanism study.

Ultraviolet (UV) light emission diode (LED), which is mercury free and theoretically more energy efficient, has now become an alternative to conventional UV lamps in water disinfection industry. In this research, the disinfection performance of a novel sequential process, UVA365nm LED followed by UVC265nm LED (UVA-UVC), was evaluated. The results revealed that the responses of different bacterial strains to UVA-UVC varied. Coupled with appropriate dosages of UVC, a 20 min UVA pre-radiation provided higher inactivations (log inactivation) of E. coli ATCC 11229, 15597 and 700891 by 1.2, 1.4 and 1.2 times, respectively than the sum of inactivations by UVA alone and UVC alone. On the contrary, the inactivation of E. coli ATCC 25922, the most UVC sensitive strain, decreased from 3 log to 1.8 log after UVA pre-radiation. A 30 min UVA pre-radiation did not affect the photo repair capacity of the four strains (n = 23, p > 0.1), but their dark repair ability was significantly inhibited (n = 14, p < 0.05). Mechanism study was conducted for two representative strains, E. coli ATCC 15597 and 25922 to understand the observed effect. The hypothesis that UVA pre-radiation promoted the yield of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was rejected. ELISA results indicated that 18% more cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) were formed in E. coli ATCC 15597 with UVA pre-radiation (n = 3, p < 0.01), however, the CPD levels of E. coli ATCC 25922 was the same with or without UVA pre-radiation (n = 3, p > 0.01). Considering the results of both dark repair and CPD formation, it was concluded that the increased UV sensitivity of E. coli 15597 was originated from the increased CPD. For E. coli ATCC 25922, the enhanced UV resistance was attributed to the strain's adoption of a survival strategy, translesion DNA synthesis (TLS), when triggered by UVA pre-radiation. The study on UmuD protein, which is a key protein during TLS, confirmed this hypothesis.

UV disinfection and flocculation-chlorination sachets to reduce hepatitis E virus in drinking water.

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) is a major cause of waterborne outbreaks in areas with poor sanitation. As safe water supplies are the keystone for preventing HEV outbreaks, data on the efficacy of disinfection treatments are urgently needed. Here, we evaluated the ability of UV radiation and flocculation-chlorination sachets (FCSs) to reduce HEV in water matrices. The HEV-p6-kernow strain was replicated in the HepG2/C3A cell line, and we quantified genome number using qRT-PCR and infectivity using an immunofluorescence assay (IFA). UV irradiation tests using low-pressure radiation showed inactivation kinetics for HEV of 99.99% with a UV fluence of 232J/m(2) (IC 95%, 195,02-269,18). Moreover, the FCSs preparations significantly reduced viral concentrations in both water matrices, although the inactivation results were under the baseline of reduction (4.5 LRV) proposed by WHO guidelines.

Disinfection of an advanced primary effluent using peracetic acid or ultraviolet radiation for its reuse in public services.

The disinfection of a continuous flow of an effluent from an advanced primary treatment (coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation) with or without posterior filtration, using either peracetic acid (PAA) or ultraviolet (UV) radiation was studied. We aimed to obtain bacteriological quality to comply with the microbiological standard established in the Mexican regulations for treated wastewater reuse (NOM-003-SEMARNAT-1997), i.e., less than 240 MPN (most probable number) FC/100 mL. The concentrations of PAA were 10, 15, and 20 mg/L, with contact times of 10, and 15 min. Fecal coliforms (FC) inactivation ranged from 0.93 up to 6.4 log units, and in all cases it reached the limits set by the mentioned regulation. Water quality influenced the PAA disinfection effectiveness. An efficiency of 91% was achieved for the unfiltered effluent, as compared to 99% when wastewater was filtered. UV radiation was applied to wastewater flows of 21, 30 and 39 L/min, with dosages from 1 to 6 mJ/cm². This treatment did not achieve the bacteriological quality required for treated wastewater reuse, since the best inactivation of FC was 1.62 log units, for a flow of 21 L/min of filtered wastewater and a UV dosage of 5.6 mJ/cm².

Treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater by ultrasound-dispersed nanoscale zero-valent iron particles.

Petroleum refineries release wastewater, which is rich in organic pollutants and cannot be treated easily. This study presents the treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater using nanoscale zero valent iron (NZVI) in the presence of ultrasonication. NZVI characteristics were analyzed using SEM and XRD. The influence of NZVI dosage and initial pH on % chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction was studied. From the results, it can be inferred that a dosage of 0.15 g/l and an initial pH are optimum for the effective degradation of effluents. The degradation data were found to follow first order kinetics. The results indicate that using NZVI in combination with ultrasonication is an efficient method for the treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater.

Removal of dinitrotoluenes and trinitrotoluene from industrial wastewater by ultrasound enhanced with titanium dioxide.

Oxidative degradation of dinitrotoluenes (DNTs) and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in wastewater was conducted using ultrasonic irradiation combined with titanium dioxide (TiO(2)). The batch-wise experiments were carried out to elucidate the influence of various operating parameters on the sonolytic behavior, including power intensity, TiO(2) dosage, acidity of wastewater, reaction temperature and oxygen dosage. It is worthy to note that the nitrotoluene contaminants could be almost completely eliminated by sonochemical oxidation enhanced significantly with the addition of TiO(2) due to the supply of adsorbent and/or excess nuclei. High destruction rate of nitrotoluenes could be achieved by increasing the acidity of wastewater and decreasing the reaction temperature. According to the result given by pyrolysis/gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (Pyrolysis/GC-MS), it is postulated that DNTs adsorbed on TiO(2) preliminarily undergo denitration pathway to o-mononitrotoluene (MNT) or oxidation pathway to 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB), respectively. Further, based on the spectra obtained from GC-MS, it is proposed that DNTs dissolved in wastewater proceed with similar reaction pathways as those adsorbed on TiO(2). Besides, oxidative degradation of 2,4,6-TNT results in the formation of 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB). Apparently, the sonolytic technique established is promising for direct treatment of wastewater from TNT manufacturing process.

Degradation and detoxification of microcystin-LR in drinking water by sequential use of UV and ozone.

Microcystins (MCs) produced by cyanobacteria are strong hepatotoxins and classified as possible carcinogens. MCs pose a considerable threat to human health through tainted drinking and surface waters. Herein filtrated water from a waterworks in Harbin, China, was spiked with microcystin-LR (MC-LR) extracted from a toxic scum of microcystis aeruginosa, and the spiked sample waters were treated using UV irradiation with consequent ozonation process (UV/O3), compared with ozonation at a dose range commonly applied in water treatment plants, UV irradiation at 254 nm and UV irradiation combined with ozonation (UV+O3), respectively. The remaining of toxins were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and also determined using a protein phosphatase type 2A inhibition assay, which was utilized to evaluate the reduction in toxicity. Results indicated that in comparison to other three processes (O3, UV, and UV+O3), UV/O3 process could effectively decrease both the concentration and toxicity of MC-LR at 100 microg/L level after 5 min UV irradiation with consequent 5 min ozonation at 0.2 mg/L (below 1 microg/L), while 0.5 mg/L ozone dose was required for the level below 0.1 microg/L. The addition of an UV treatment step to the existing treatment train may induce significant transformation of micropollutants and breaks down the natural organic matters into moieties unfavorable for ozone decomposition, stabilizing the ozone residual. These findings suggested that sequential use of UV and ozone may be a suitable method for the removal of these potentially hazardous microcystins from drinking water.

Toxicity and organic content characterization of olive oil mill wastewater undergoing a sequential treatment with fungi and photo-Fenton oxidation.

Olive oil mill wastewater (OOMW) is responsible for serious environmental problems. In this study, the efficiency of two treatments involving fungi and photo-Fenton oxidation, sequentially applied to OOMW was analyzed for organic compounds degradation and toxicity mitigation. The treatment with fungi (especially Pleurotus sajor caju) of diluted OOMW samples promoted a reduction of their acute toxicity to Daphnia longispina. Although this fungi species have not induced significant color reduction it was responsible for 72,91 and 77% reductions in chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phenolic and organic compound contents. After biological treatment, photo-Fenton oxidation seemed to be an interesting solution, especially for color reduction. However, the OOMWs remained highly toxic after photo-Fenton oxidation. Considering the second sequence of treatments, namely photo-Fenton oxidation followed by biological treatment, the former revealed, once more, a great potential because it can be applied to non-diluted OOMW, with significant reductions in COD (53-76%), total phenolic content (81-92%) and organic compounds content (100%). Despite fungal species still have demonstrated a high capacity for bioaccumulation of organic compounds, resulting from photo-Fenton oxidation, the biological treatment did not cause substantial benefits in terms of COD, total phenolic content and toxicity reduction.

Photodegradation of the herbicide azimsulfuron using nanocrystalline titania films as photocatalyst and low intensity Black Light radiation or simulated solar radiation as excitation source.

Aqueous solutions of the herbicide azimsulfuron have been treated by a photocatalytic process employing titania nanocrystalline films as photocatalyst. Results showed that solutions of this herbicide at maximum possible concentration can be photodegraded in a time of a few hours by using low intensity UVA radiation comparable with that of the UVA of solar noon. Similar results have also been obtained with simulated solar radiation. Thus heterogeneous photocatalysis can be employed for the treatment of waters polluted by this herbicide.

Effect of peracetic acid, ultraviolet radiation, nanofiltration-chlorine in the disinfection of a non conventional source of water (Tula Valley).

Water supply for human consumption requires certain quality that reduces health risks to consumers. In this sense, the process of disinfection plays an important role in the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms. Even though chlorination is the most applied process based on its effectiveness and cost, its application is being questioned considering the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs). Therefore, alternative disinfectants are being evaluated and some treatment processes have been proposed to remove DBPs precursors (organic matter. This paper reports the results of disinfection of a non conventional source of water (aquifer recharged unintentionally with raw wastewater) with peracetic acid (PAA) and ultraviolet radiation (UV) as well as nanofiltration (NF) followed by chlorination to produce safe drinking water. The results showed that a dose of 2 mg/L PAA was needed to eliminate total and faecal coliforms. For UV light, a dose of 12.40 mWs/cm2 reduced total and faecal coliforms below the detection limit. On the other hand, chlorine demand of water before NF was 1.1-1.3 mg/L with a trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) of 118.62 microg/L, in contrast with chlorination after NF where the demand was 0.5 mg/L and THMFP of 17.64 microg/L. The recommended scheme is nanofiltration + chlorination.

Assessment of Bacillus subtilis spores as a possible bioindicator for evaluation of the microbicidal efficacy of radiation processing of water.

Gamma and electron-beam irradiation of Bacillus subtilis spores suspended in different types of water was studied to evaluate the inactivation of the spores and assess their possible use as a bioindicator for radiation processing. We found that the inactivation proceeded endogenously, being dose-rate-dependent and affected by oxygen. The radiation resistance of the suspended spores was found to be rather high; therefore, B. subtilis spores used as a bioindicator for efficiency of water treatment by radiation under practical conditions might result in the spores being overly conservative surrogates for pathogenic microorganisms. Moreover, the doserate dependency impedes the use of the spores as a bioindicator. Thus, B. subtilis spores cannot be recommended as a bioindicator for evaluation of the microbicidal efficacy of ionizing radiation processing of water.

Use of ionizing radiation technology for treating municipal wastewater.

In big cities, the cost of treating wastewater is increasing with more stringent environmental requirements. Ionizing radiation technology for treating municipal wastewater may be an alternative to reduce treatment costs. In this paper, laboratory tests were carried out using different doses of radiation to treat wastewater samples collected from the AL-Rustamia wastewater treatment plant in Baghdad city. According to the results, irradiation by gamma radiation with a dose ranging from 100 to 500 krad was efficient in reducing some of the physical contaminants. The organic contaminants were degraded and reduced to about 12% of their original concentrations. Generally, irradiation technology could effectively modify the characteristics of the wastewater to such levels that are compatible with Iraqi disposal standards. The results of the study also showed that, an experimental pilot plant study is required to optimize the cost of wastewater treatment through the use of this technology.

The use of ultrasound to enhance the degradation of the Basic Green by cast iron.

The effect of pH, amount of cast iron and initial concentration on the removal ratio of Basic Green by cast iron combined with ultrasound was investigated. It was shown that the reduction of Basic Green was enhanced by ultrasound. In all combined systems, the decolorization efficiency is more than 95%, but removal ratio of CODcr decreased with the increasing pH or initial dye concentration and increased with the increase of the amount of cast iron.

UV inactivation of adenovirus type 41 measured by cell culture mRNA RT-PCR.

Adenoviruses are among the most resistant waterborne pathogens to UV disinfection, yet of the 51 serologically distinct human adenoviruses, only a few have been evaluated for their sensitivities to UV irradiation. Human enteric adenoviruses (Ad40 and Ad41) are difficult to cultivate and reliably assay for infectivity, requiring weeks to obtain cytopathogenic effects (CPE). Inoculated cell cultures often deteriorate before the appearance of distinctive CPE making it difficult to obtain reliable and reproducible data regarding UV inactivation. Adenovirus is a double-stranded DNA virus and produces messenger RNA (mRNA) during replication in host cells. The presence of viral mRNA in host cells is definitive evidence of infection. We recently developed a rapid and reliable cell culture-mRNA RT-PCR assay to detect and quantify adenovirus infectivity. Viral mRNA recovered from cell cultures 5-7 days after infection was purified on oligo-dT latex, treated with DNase, and amplified by RT-PCR using the primers specific for a conserved region of the hexon late mRNA transcript. Treatment of approximately 10(4) Ad41 with different doses of 254 nm germicidal UV radiation resulted in a dose-dependent loss of infectivity. As UV doses were increased from 75 to 200 mJ/cm2, virus survival decreased and no virus infectivity (measured by detectable mRNA) was found at a dose of 225 mJ/cm2 or higher. Our results using the cell culture mRNA RT-PCR assay indicate that Ad41 is more resistant to UV radiation than in a previous study using a conventional cell culture infectivity assay. Results were more similar to those found for Ad 40 using CPE as a measure of infectivity in another previous study.

Visible-light detoxification and charge generation by transition metal chloride modified titania.

Amorphous microporous metal oxides of titanium (AMM-Ti) modified with chlorides of PtIV, IrIV, RhIII, AuIII, PdII, CoII, and NiII have been prepared by the sol-gel method and characterized by various surface analytical methods. These hybrid AMM-Ti powders are catalysts for the photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) in aqueous solution when illuminated with visible (lambda > or = 400 or 455 nm) or UV (lambda > or = 335 nm) light. The initial rate depends on the dopant level and is highest at 3.0% Pt in the case of PtIV/AMM-Ti. When employed in a photoelectrochemical cell, the activity spectrum of the photocurrent extends downward to about 600 nm, as does the photodegradation of 4-CP. It is suggested that the metal salt acts as a redox-active chromophore, transmitting the photogenerated charges to the amorphous matrix.